Cup of Thoughts

How great is the love of the Father  that we're called the children of God Abram, a man whose years almost exceeded a century's, was surprised by the presence of God. Abram being in the presence of a Holy God fell facedown as God spoke to him. God made a covenant with him 5 chapters before this point. The covenant He speaks now is entirely different though. This covenant was so certain, God changed Abram's name to Abraham and his wife's name Sarai to Sarah. So that it would be an everlasting reminder of the promise. 'Your name will no longer be Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I will make you the father of many nations. I will make you extremely fruitful and will make nations and kings come from you. ' Genesis 17:5-6  Abram means "exalted father." Abraham means "father of many." 'God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, do not call her Sarai, for Sarah will be her name. I will bless her; indeed, I will gi...

I'm all for spring cleaning. In fact, I'm a clean freak. I don't just clean in the springtime. I clean all year round. I'm the type of person that will re-arrange my closet every couple of months and re-fold all of my closet drawers so that they look nice. Yes, I totally do that. And the thing is, I don't really do it for anyone else besides myself. The only one who sees my closet is my sister, who still shares a room with me. I've always been that way. As I was cleaning this afternoon, a thought came into my head. You know those thoughts that make you startle, like, 'where did that come from?' I know you've had one of those before. "What about cleaning your soul?" I stopped my dusting and came to realize that is one thing I almost always neglect to pick up. Have you ever wondered that? How do you clean your soul? Redemption by the blood of Christ will certainly clean your soul;  'whiter than snow' as the Bible says. Bu...

"Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him."  I John 5:1 I was listening to that new song, " So Will I " on my way home from work last night and I used the space inside of my little car as a sanctuary. The words flooding out of my speakers stirred my heart. You spoke to the dark And fleshed out the wonder of light I had one of those nights. The nights where everything needs to be done and you really don't want to pick up someone else's slack and do it yourself. When everything you touch seems to turn into a safety hazard. When you can't count back change correctly because you're too focused on the inside worries of the mind. When you walk into a guy trying to clean the bathrooms. Yeah, I understand. I've been there. When you feel exhausted and torn. Alone and overwhelmed. Times like these make the verse in II Corinthians 12:10 so much sense...

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8 Do you ever feel like your on pause? Like there's something happening all around you but you can't see it? Recently a friend mentioned something that stuck with me. She made the reference to Peter denying Jesus. Even though Jesus' disciple sinned against Him three different times during the crucifiction, what happened to Peter 50 days later? Did Peter stay hidden and scared for his life? Was he trampled on by the enemy? Or did he become stronger and braver as a voice for the Lord? (see here the day of Pentecost) “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden." Matthew 5:14 I think we as believers forget after we get stuck in a rut, that we can come out of it much stronger than before. I am as guilty as anyone when it comes to being caught up in the moton of things. But God reminded me this week that we don't have to be that way. Foc...

Have you ever felt jealous of another person? Maybe they had better clothes than you, or they could afford certain things you couldn't. What about wishing bad on another person because of that reason?  You were created to be just who you are. Why try to disrupt that originality by trying to mimic others?  Never degrade yourself because you are different from others. You have been made perfect through Jesus.  He has sealed us and filled us with a Spirit of love and hope ( II Corinthians 1:22 ) if you are a child of the King.   Child of the King? What does that mean? "But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear-" I read that scripture verse before a certain encounter at work. A certain individual was in th...

I started beauty school a month ago. I woke up two hours before my alarm clock because I was genuinely excited for the upcoming first day of school. I have never been fond of the idea of college. It was never highly encouraged, nor discouraged in my house. So there is no regret of my decision in the choice of schooling, even though there have been several disappointing comments from people around me. I'm supremely thankful for parents that support my passions, whatever they may be.  Hair is one of the most beautiful features on a person. There are countless ways you can change or arrange your hair. Everyone has a unique individualistic passion and personality which can be displayed with your appearance. Feeling loved and special is one of the major goals I have for every future client. If I could let every person I come into contact with see how beautiful and cherished they are, that would make my career and purpose worthwhile. A beaut...

Family devotionals have always been very trivial with my family. We either don't get enough time to do it, or events take place and we simply forget to do it. But most cases we end up just making excuses. After coming back from our mission trip we realized how important those devotionals were with our group. They were empowering and motivating. Each day it became one of the things I looked forward to doing.  When we came back home we knew that we wanted to include my dad in the devotionals, who wasn't able to join us on the mission trip. We've picked through some really good devotionals, but books never seem to be finished with us, so my dad found a video devotional series by Mark Hall  that we are almost finished with. Every night he reads a scripture in the devotionals and goes over it with funny analogies and stories that tie everything in together.  After a few nights passed things started to happen.  First epidemic, my mom was saving a bunch of edited ...

Last year, my youth group and I traveled to North Eastern Indiana to help out with other churches partnered with our church's association. While we were on the mission trip our comfort zones became almost non-existent. This year, however, we were a little familiar with our surroundings, but there were still scenarios that were unexpected, and a bit surprising.  Heading north, our group had no clear  mission work  schedule, we were literally going up to help out wherever was needed. That's no easy thing to do, at least for me it isn't. I like things planned out, listed and crossed to the 't'. Which made me step back and realize that is one of my faults. I like to be in charge of everything around me. I like to be the boss sometimes, or all the time... However, in God's word, it tells us to be quite the opposite.  "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."  ( James 4:10 ) There are multiple ver...

The new Disney remake of the classic tale, Beauty & the Beast, has caused the cinemas all across the world to be full of viewers. The box office results have surpassed the record boards. People blindly willing to support a cause that has accumulated into something much grander than it ought to. The depressing news of one of the identities in the film is portrayed to be homosexual. That, and the fact that the corporation which created the film, is proudly flaunting the gay-theme into children's faces, are major factors in my disagreement. This is a tough subject. However, it is a crucial discussion that needs to be made. There are no gray areas to choose from here. Either you believe it's wrong or you believe it's right. By the holy, inspired written word of God, it says that same-sex marriage is wrong. I think I'll choose to go by God's standards, rather than the world's. I did not, nor will I go see the newest film adaption of Bea...

"Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." ( Philippians 2:4 ) After a long day of work, or a school day that seemed as if it was dragging on for a century, do you ever feel drained? We carry on as if we're one-track minded. Never stopping to seek the needs of others. I find myself in this grudging feeling of complacency. Have you ever begun to notice the way people say things over and over again? It's as if we're in this ongoing routine every day of formalities that deep down, we don't even care about. I bet I ask, 'how are you,' more than a dozen times a day - to random strangers, and also to people I'm acquainted with. Sometimes I honestly care what they say, and most of the time it's out of habit. If I'm not sincere about asking, then why does it bother me so much? Because it's a thing we all do. Once you start to notice the verbal pattern, it starts to jab at you and make ...

"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." ( 1 Corinthians 10:31 ) This was ( and still is ) my mantra for a healthy lifestyle. If you've tried the New's Year Resolution of a healthy diet and failed at it miserably, you're not the only one. Everyone tries to shun the guilt of indulging ourselves over the holidays. Trying every diet out there, going as far as half-starving yourself for that perfect image that society tells you is necessary. Forget it. It's not worth it. Who's body is it anyway? It's not the world's. And it most definitely isn't your own. We were born with a living temple. God breathed life into you for His purpose. Not ours, but His. Life is a precious thing, and we take it for granted too often. Our bodies deserve to be treated as living sacrifices for God because in the Bible that's exactly what His will is for them. "I beseech you therefore, brethren...